Grand Jury Summons Cobb School Board Members

All seven members of the Cobb Board of Education have been called to appear before a county grand jury on Friday.

The grand jury will be meeting with the school board starting at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the Grand Jury Room of the courthouse, located at 10 East Park Square in downtown Marietta.

“We can’t discuss anything that the grand jury does,” said Kathy Watkins, director of communications for the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.

Watkins said the grand jury will have a “general presentment” of any recommendations, complete disclosure of the individuals appearing before them and what they discussed on May 5, “but until then, it’s private.”

But East Cobb school board member David Banks told Patch Monday afternoon that the email he received on Friday from the Cobb District Attorney's office indicated the topics to be covered include the , which has roiled the school board in controversy for more than a month.

Banks, who represents the Pope, Lassiter and Sprayberry high school districts and who favors a return to the balanced calendar, has been of that dispute. Last week he unsuccessfully attempted a parliamentary maneuver to get the matter back before the board.

"I don’t know what the other issues could be about," Banks said about other possible subjects to be taken up by the grand jury. "I don’t know what sparked it. I don’t know who’s on the panel unless there [were] a lot of complaints that went into [Cobb D.A.] Pat Head about the balanced calendar, but that’s speculation on my part."

When asked about whether other contentious issues may have prompted the grand jury's inqury -- including the current search for a new Cobb schools superintendent that is the basis of by Banks -- he said: 

"When you’re riding a wild horse, it’s best to get off of it. There’s a lot of stuff going on."

Some parents have become so upset over school board deliberations, especially the calendar issue, that they have asked the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to investigate.

School board member David Morgan of South Cobb said that having board members appear before the grand jury  is not "an uncommon occurrence, but they’ve never called the entire board at one time since I’ve been on the board."

Said Banks: "This is just a civil grand jury. They’re just going to issue their findings and opinions. It’s not really that serious, but if they find something wrong it could get serious. You never know what could come out of it. They might release a report, but I don’t expect anything."

Patch has left a message seeking comment from East Cobb school board member Scott Sweeney, who represents the Walton and Wheeler districts and who led the change to the traditional calendar shortly after taking office in January. 

Cobb schools spokesman Doug Goodwin referred questions about the grand jury matter to Head's office. 

-- Kiri Walton is the editor of South Cobb Patch. Ethan Fowler is the education correspondent for the eight Cobb Patch sites.